Rotary turbine-type hydrokinetic coupling



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ROTARY TURBINE-TYPE HYDROKINETIC COUPLING- Filed Feb, '3, 1947 v 2sheets-sheet 1 ltorney ROTARY TURBINE-TYPE HYDROKINETIC COUPLING FiledFeb. 3, 1947 2 sheets-sheet 2 Inventor Attorney Patented Oct. 9, 19,51

ROTARY TURBINE-TYPE HYDROKINETIC COUPLING Robert Cecil Clerk, Richmond,England Application February 3, 1947, Serial No. 726,012

In Great Britain November 12, 1945 section 1,'Pub1ic Law 69o, August s,1946 Patent expires November 12, 1965 `This invention relates tohydraulic couplings, and has reference to a power transmitting appliancein the form of a coupling, brake or gear` of the so-called hydro kinetictype, that-vis, one in which power is transmitted by the kinetic energyof a liquid discharged by an impeller on a drive shaft against the vanesof a turbine runner on a driven shaft. The invention is concerned inparticular with a hydro-kinetic couplingof the kind in which a reservoirchamber for the operating liquid, e. g. oil, is provided within thecompass or conines of the rotating casing of the coupling. In priorproposals the reservoir chamber has been disposed at the rear oftherunner or driven part or at the rear of the impellerl or driving part,and has been connected with the Working circuit of the coupling topermit of the vpassage of liquid from the working circuit vto thereservoir, and vice versa. This interconnection has been effectedhitherto by means of a number of tubes which extend between thereservoir chamber and the vortex core ring of the coupling. The uses andadvantages of such a reservoir chamber are, of course, well known, theobjects of the chamber being briefly to remove part of the oil from theworking circuit under starting conditions thus assisting the engine topick up the load more readily by reason of the reduction in drag torqueor tendency to creep, and then/ when a certain speed ris reached', toreturn the oil into the-working circuitautomatically, which results in alow slip value under normal running conditions. The reservoir servesalso to separate air from the oil in vthe working circuit and` toprevent undue Y pressure rise in the coupling by acting as an expansionchamber. 1

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and sturdyconstruction of hydrau lic coupling of the hydro-kinetic type whichpossesses all the advantages which accrue from the provision of areservoir chamber within the rotating casing thereof without having toincorporate tubes specially provided on either the impeller or therunner for engaging the operating liquid contained within apart of thecou,- pling which is rotatable with the complemental member (i. e. therunner or the impeller as the case may be) for the purpose ofwithdrawing said liquid from the working circuit of the coupling.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hydro-kineticcoupling having the characteristics already referred to without thenecessity of using a vortex core-ring, which has 2 Y hitherto been thepart of the Working circuit of the coupling between which and thereservoir chamber the liquid withdrawing means has eX- tended.

A further object of the invention Yis to provide a 'hydro-kineticcoupling constructed so as to permit the operating liquid to move freelyinto the reservoir under starting conditions and to return automaticallyto the vortex chamber when the coupling is rotating at or above apredetermined regulatable speed.

The foregoing and other objects of the invenlf tion and a fullerunderstanding thereof may be had by referring to the followingdescription and the accompanying drawings in which Figures 1 and 2 aresimilar longitudinal cross sections, partly in elevation, showing twosuitable constructional forms of the coupling. f k

In the constructionillustrated in Figure 1, the impeller I has aperipheral flange 2 by means of which it is clamped between the jointfaces of the two halves 3, Il of a transversely split l casing, one sideof the casing half 3 being bolted` to an end flange 5 of a drive shaft6. Adjacent to the peripheral flange 2' of the impeller I a trough I ofapproximately semi-elliptical'form is provided, and opposed to this isarranged the outer approximately semi-elliptical trough 8 of a runner 9.The runner 9 is anchored by means of a centrally apertured plate portionI0 to a driven shaft II, which extends centrally through the casing andis rotatably supported coaxially withfthe driving shaft 6 by anextension I2 running in an anti-friction bearing I3 mounted in casinghalf 3, i. e. on the driving shaft side of the casing, and by a journalI4 running in an anti-friction bearing I5 mounted in the casing half LAn oil retaining seal 'I6 is provided around a collar I'I on the runnershaft II on the outside of the bearing I5. Thel impeller I is providedwith a centrally apertured flange I8 somewhat similar to the plate I0 ofthe runner B and the flange I8 and plateportion I0 of theimpeller I andthe runner B respectively are spaced apart to'form a duct I9. Thegeneral direction of the duct i9 is disposed so as to be substantiallyor approximately tangential to the' cross section of the vortex, vsothat oil may freely leave the circulating vortex without setting up anydisturbance in the vortex flow. The inner edge 20 of the impeller flangeI8 forms a weir over which oil flows directly into the reservoir chamber2l. The edge 20 of the impeller I is curled back toward the duct I9 andthus provides behind the flange I8 an annulus within which turbulence ofthe oil is set up. This turbulence has the effect of opposing the low ofoil between the vortex chamber and the reservoir. The outer part of thecasing lies in proximity to the outer part of the clamped impeller Il,the reservoir '2l being; provided. in. the region of the inner part of7said impeller. One or more centrifugally operating valves 22 of anysuitable construction may be carried in bosses 23 formed on the rearsideof.' the impeller I, each valve 22 serving to control a passage 24 whichopens into the vortex space between the opposed impeller I and runner 8;each passage 24 is formed and disposed so; as; to. ensure thatany oilpassing from the reservoir. ZIx through. the valve 22 When it is opened.by centrifugal action at a predetermined speed enters smoothly by atangential inflow movement into the circulating vortex. These controlvalves:v 2'2 are; optional.

In` Figure 2 of the drawings an alternative construction is illustratedin which an adjustable Weir ring 25 is employed instead of. the staticcurled-edge flange I8 shown in Figure l. rLhe Weir ring 25- is normallyheld by spring-loaded bolts 2liv against a web 2'! formedonthe insideperiphery of the impeller1 trough 'I and. ismain-l tained thus duringthe low speeds which; prevail under starting conditions. As the.- speedof rotation. increases during operation of the coupling the Weir ring 25slides over the seating rim. 2S against the resistance of thespring-loaded. bolts 26 and thus reduces the- Width of the duet I9,thereby producing substantially the same throt.- tling eiect as theturbulence' created by the curled-edge ange I8 in` the constructionshown in Figure. 1. This sliding movement. of the Weir ring 25 isbrought about by the: influence of centrifugal force of the oil. trappedbehind it and of forces dueto the convergentFdivergen-t ovv of: oilpastthe ringY face and runner flange.

With this Weir ring 25 the same forma of. centrifugally operating valve.22 may be used as illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 1,. or a1.-

ternatively as shown in Figure. 2, a ring. valve may be employed. Thisring valve 29 comprises a ring 29 which is.v rotatable on. a seating 30inthe casing half 4, in close or rubbing contact with a ported face 3|on theback. of the impeller I. The ring 29 is provided Witha series ofspaced apart arcuate slots- 32 or equivalentl openings arrangedconcentric to the axis of rotation of the impeller I and adapted onrotation; of the ring. 29 to.- align or register with the tangentialpassages 24 which open out on the ported face. 3l.

A rotary movement is imparted. to the valve ring` 29v at and above apredetermined operating speed by connecting it to one arm. of at leastone bell` crank, lever 33, each mounted for free pivotal. movement on apivot 34 on. the back of the. impeller trough l., the in-uence ofcentrifugal: force on a weight 35 on the other armof said'v lever 33being utilised to swing said lever about its pivot 34- and. thus impartrotation to the valve ring 29. This form of centrifugally operated ringvalve could be employed with a coupling of the construction shown in.Figure l, in lieu of the valves 22.

I claim:

1. A hydro-kinetic coupling comprising adrive shaft, a` closed casingsecured to said drive shaft, a driven. shaft coaxial with the driveshaft and journalled Within said closed casing for rotationindependently thereof, a substantially semielliptical shaped troughedrunner secured to said driven shaft and disposed with its back adjacentto the Wall of one side of the closed casing, a sullstantiallyAsemi-elliptical shaped'. troughed impeller secured partition-Wisewithin' the closed casing and having a central aperture for the passagetherethrough of said driven shaft, said impeller' being' disposed so asto form an oil reser- Voir between the back thereof and the other sideof the. closed casing, and said troughed runner and troughed impellerfacing one another to form therebetween. a substantially ellipticalshaped vortex chamber and being constructed to constitute between them aduct which is disposed substantially tangential to the cross-section ofthe vortex and Which forms, a continuous uninterrupted flow-restrictingWeir around the Adriven shaft, over which Weir operating liquid directlypasses fromfsaid vortex: chamber to: said` oilreservoir and. the back ofthe outer peripheral portionx of said impeller having a. plurality of'centrifu-l gally operable ports disposed substanti'ally` tane gentia-ltol the cross-section. of the Vortex chaine ber for providing asmoothtangential inflow movement of oil from said. reservoir. intothe;circulating; vortex under the effect of centrifugal action..

2.. A` hydro-kinetic. coupling as claimed in. claim 1, wherein. theimpeller is. provided with an in-V y wardly directed. ange. having anincurled. edge forming an. annulus around the-lip: of the aper ture,through. which the operating. liquid iievvsv directly into. thereservoir from thefvortex cham* ber. formed between .the opposedimpellerand runner, saidannulus setting up turbulence-which opposesl the flow ofthe liquid into said. reservoir. in. excessy of predetermined flowvelocities.

3. A coupling according to.- claim- 1.,. wherein a Weir ring is mountedfor axial displacement inthe central aperture of. thefimpeller.

4.. Av coupling according to claim` 3, in which the Weir ring isslidably mounted. in. the central aperture of. the impeller,` for axial-.displacement under the influence of centrifugally imparted hydraulicforces, to restrict. said impeller aper.- ture, for the purpose ofthrottling the. flow of operating liquid from the` vortex chamber intothe reservoir.

5.v AI coupling according to claim 1-,v in which the porting provided.in. the backof the impeller is controlled by valvel means constructed;for ad.- mitting liquidv fromv the reservoir into the vortex chamber,said. valve means. operating automatically to pass liquid therethroughwhen. the impeller is rotating above a predetermined speed..

ROBERT CECIL' CLERK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record` in. the. file.of this patent:

UNITED' STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,963,720 Sinclair June 19.,1934. 2,127,738 Kugel Aug. 231938 2,128,828 Klepper Aug. 30, 1938v2,181,711 Sinclair Nov. 28, 1939 2,280,042 Duiield Apr. 14, 1942'2,384,282. Peterson et. al. Nov. 16,1948

